New Year's Eve 2012: Holiday manicure ideas for all ages

Looking for a way to glam up your New Year's Eve look? Give a reverse French manicure a try, like this one using Zoya's Storm (black) and Ziv (gold). Check your favorite salon for the polishes ($8, each) or go to zoya.com to order.Zoya

"It's all about the sparkle," Pistillo says. "Holiday nails are super-shiny, adorned with glitter and making huge statements with layering techniques. There are no rules."

Here are her tips for ringing in the new year with a marvelous manicure:

• Try a color typically reserved for spring, such as teal or lavender. These lighter shades are quite popular this winter.

• Don't shy away from metallics. Glittery shades are all the rage right now in colors none of us would've worn two years ago.

• Consider the "reverse" French manicure. Paint your entire nail one color, then use hole-punch reinforcer stickers or tape to cover a half-moon shape on your nail bed, near the cuticle. Paint the uncovered portion a new color, remove the sticker and cover with a quick-dry topcoat. (If you've got a steady hand, you can skip the stickers and freehand it.) You can also try triangular, full moon or any other shape at the base. The color combinations are completely up to you. If you want to dip your toe in the glittery-trend waters, we suggest using a sparkly metallic at the nail bed with a soft pink or neutral matte at the top.

• To enjoy fresh-looking color well into January, get a professional gel-polish manicure at your favorite salon.

• Put the finishing touch on a little black dress with a midnight blue or tuxedo gray polish.

• A deeply pigmented nude or bronze nail polish works on all skin tones and transitions effortlessly from day to evening.

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